Support and drive mechanism for tumblers



T May 8, 1962 GRAY 3,033,057 4 SUPPORT AND DRIVE MECHANISM FOR TUMBLERS Filed Dec. 28, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

W2 17/5 BEE 2V7 United States Patent 3,033,057 SUPPORT AND DRIVE MECHANISM FOR TUMBLERS I James F. Gray, 1811 Collins St., Wichita Falls, Tex. Filed Dec. 28, 1959, Ser. No. 862,231

Claims. (Cl. 74-674) This invention relates to the mounting of and drive for mixing tumblers, and more particularly to a pneumatic tired mounting and driving device for tumblers for mixing materials such as asphalt and other such materials which require large tumblers to be driven uniformly in a supported relation without the use of a central shaft therethrough.

The present device is so constructed that it may be readily supported and driven with a minimum of noise, and at the same time the supports furnish traction for turning the tumbler while carrying a heavy load.

Various tumbler mountings have been proposed heretofore, but these, for the most part, employed chains, gears or the like, which gears and chains, when used with tumblers mixing asphalt, aggregate and the like, containing abrasive particles readily became worn, thereby making the upkeep an item of considerable expense and necessitating periodical shutdowns for replacements of parts.

The present device is so constructed as to overcome most of the objections to chain and gear driven tumblers, while at the same time providing a tumbler mounting and driving mechanism which operates with a minimum of noise.

An object of this invention is to provide a drive for a shaftless tumbler, wherein the tumbler is resiliently supported on pneumatic tires.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tumbler drive which supports the tumbler for rotation on pneumatic tires.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a tumbler which is supported for rotation on bands which are spaced outward from the tumbler and wherein heat radiation fins extend outward from said bands so as to minimize the transfer of heat between the tumbler and the pneumatic tires on which the tumbler is mounted.

With these objects in mind and others which will become manifest as the description proceeds, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like parts in the several views thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the tumbler mounted on pneumatic tired wheels, and showing a motor connected in geared relation, through differentials, to the pneumatically tired wheels;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the tumbler mounting, showing the tumbler mounted thereon in dashed outline;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 7, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a sectional View taken on the line 66 of FIG. 7, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, sectional view of one of the supporting bands for the tumbler.

With more detailed reference to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates generally a base, which base is preferably made of structural members, such as I- beams, H-beams or the like. Pairs of gear differentials 2 are mounted on each side of the frame 1 and are spaced apart longitudinally so as to form a cradle to receive a tumbler,

designated generally at 4. Tumblers of this character are often thirty or more feet in length, and are supported for turning movement about an axis without being supported on a shaft. The differential gears 2 are mounted on support blocks 6 so that the wheels may turn freely. One of the pairs of differentials is on each side of a perpendicular plane which passes through the axis of said tumbler, which differentials have the axles thereof in axially aligned relation.

Drive shafts 10 extend outward from the respective housings of differentials 2, each of which housings preferably has a sprocket 12 thereon. A motor 14 is mounted on base 1 and has a V-belt pulley 16 thereon, which V-1belt pulley drives a V-belt pulley 18, in speed reduction relation, by V-belts 20. The pulley 18 is mounted on a countershaft 22 on which a clutch mechanism 24 is mounted. The clutch mechanism 24 may be of conventional design and may be remotely operated, as by a fluid cylinder 26, which is actuated through remote controls.

(not shown) to engage the countershaft 22 in driving relation with the pulley 18, and to disengage the pulley 18 therefrom. For heavy tumblers, which will contain heavy loads, the countershaft 22 may extend beneath the tumbler, as indicated in full outline, to drive sprockets 12a on the opposite sides of a vertical plane passing through the axis of the tumbler 4. 8 may be simultaneously driven upon the engagement of the clutch 24.

It is preferable to have pneumatic tires, such as truck tires on the wheels 8 to support the tumbler 4 for turning movement about the axis thereof.

Since the heat in tumblers, such as tumblers 4, for mixing asphalt, often reaches 350 degrees F it has not been feasible heretofore to mount such tumblers on pneumatic rubber tired wheels. However, the present tumbler is so designed as to' dissipate the greater portion of the heat before it reaches the pneumatic tires on which it is supported. The applicant has been able to construct a tumbler in such manner as to be able to dissipate the greater portion of the heat from the hot asphalt before it reaches the tires, there-by enabling pneumatic, rubber tired wheels to be used on the present drive.

The cylinder 28 of the tumbler 4 is a shell of heavy plate metal welded together to form a substantially true cylinder, which cylinder has annular segmental plates 30,- 32, 34 and 36 secured therearound as by welding and which annular segmental plates are spaced apart 1ongitudinally throughout the length of the cylinder4, and to which plates radiation fins 38; 40, 42, and 44, respec-. tively, are welded. The radiation fins are each welded to the cylinder 28 at one end and to the fiat, annular segmental bands 50, 52, 54, and 56 at their opposite ends. The respective fiat bands 50, 52, 54, and 56 are spaced apart as indicated at 58, to permit expansion and contraction thereof without distortion of the overall circular form thereof. The flat band 54 is similar to the fiat band 50, except it has guide bands 60 around each edge thereof for guiding upstanding roller members 62 into bearing rolling relation, so as to fix the tumbler 4 against longitudinal movement with respect to base 1, while permitting free turning movement of the tumbler about the axis thereof.

In order to insure uniform contact of roller members 62 with band 60, the gaps between the ends of the segmental bands 60 are abridged with segmental band portions 64, one end of each band 64 being welded to one of the segmental bands 60 and the other end of which bands extend over the end of the adjacent portion of the band segment, so upon the bands 60 becoming heated, a relative slippage will occur between segmental portions 60 and 64. However, the gap at the end of band segments Patented May. 8, 196 2 In this manner all the wheels =3 60 will be abridged so that the roller 62 will roll along the edges thereof in a uniform manner.

Operation It will be readily appreciated that, with the shafts of differentials 2 on each side of frame 1 in axial alignment, and with the tumbler 4 cradled upon the pneumatic rubber tired wheels 8, so as to support the tumbler 4 about its axis, the device is ready to operate, whereupon, motor '14 is started and clutch 24 is engaged by actuating a pneumatic control to engage clutch 24 in driving relation with shaft 22, so that the V-belt pulley 18 will drive sprockets 12 and 1211 through chains 11 and 11a, which in turn will drive shafts to rotate wheels 8 through differentials 2. In so doing, the wheels 8 will all rotate in unison and in the same direction. However, if for any reason, there should be misalignment in the tumbler 4, the differential wheels will automatically compensate, which will permit the individual wheels to vary in rotation, and at the same time put a uniform pull on each of the wheels. While multiple drives have been shown to drive all of the differentials and wheels mounted thereon, any desired number of differentials and wheels can be driven by removing the chains 11 or 11a from those wheels which are not to be driven. In this manner uniformity of drive may be readily accorded for the particular unit being driven. However, with all wheels rolling beneath the tumbler, on which wheels the tumbler is supported, the turning of the tumbler is assured.

Having thus clearly shown and described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A support and drive mechanism for a hot asphalt mixing device having an elongated tubular tumbler, which tumbler is adapted to rotate about an axis, which support and drive mechanism comprises: a base, upstanding standards mounted on said base, difierential units mounted on said upstanding standards to rotatably support wheels thereon, a pair of pneumatically tired wheels rotatably mounted on each said differential unit, the axes of said wheels being in parallel relation with the axis of said tumbler, said differential units being spaced apart transversely so the axes of certain pairs of said wheels on certain of said differential units will be on each side of a vertical, medial plane passing through the axis of said tumbler, said tumbler being supported on pairs of said wheels, and power means operatively connected to at least one pair of said pneumatically tired wheels to impart driving power thereto to rotate said tumbler.

2. A support and drive mechanism fora mixing device having an elongated tubular tumbler, which tumbler is adapted to rotate about as axis, as defined in claim 1, wherein said tumbler has longitudinally spaced apart bands mounted thereon throughout the length thereof, which bands have faces thereon to complementally en- .gage said pneumatically tired wheels in supporting relation, radiation fins secured intermediate said bands and said tumbler so as to mount said tumbler in spaced apart relation to said bands so as to present a heat radiation surface therebetween.

3. In combination with a support and drive mechanism for a hot asphalt mixing device, a base, an elongated, tubular tumbler adapted to be rotated about an axis, longitudinally spaced apart circumferential band segments thereon throughout the length thereof, radially disposed, longitudinally arranged ribs secured to said band segments and to said tubular tumbler, which band segments are adapted to support said tumbler on drive wheels, and each said band segment having a space between adjacent ends thereof,

4. A device as defined in claim 3, wherein further band segments are provided, one being secured to one end of said first band segments to abridge the space between the ends of said first band segments in movable, over-lapping relation, a face of said first mentioned band segments and a face of said over-lapping band segments lying in the same plane, a roller mounted on said base and having the axis thereof perpendicular to the axis of said support wheels and having a face of said roller in rolling engagement with said band segments lying in said plane.

5. A support and drive mechanism for a hot asphalt mixing device having an elongated, tubular tumbler which is adapted to rotate about an inclined, longitudinal axis, which mechanism comprises: a base, pairs of differentials mounted on opposite sides of said base a spaced distance thereabove, said differentials having axles extending outward therefrom, pneumatically tired wheels mounted on said axles for rotation about the respective axes thereof, which axes of said axles are parallel to the axis of said tumbler, said tumbler, having longitudinally spaced apart bands, having the axis thereof lying in a plane mediate the axes of said differentials, with said bands being in complementary spaced relation to the spacing of said pneumatically tired wheels on said axles, a drive shaft extending outward from each of said differentials, and power driving means operatively connected in driving relation with the drive shaft of each said ditferential.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,106,828 Chappell Feb. 1, 1938 2,192,912 Howie Mar. 12, 1940 2,570,082 Traylor Oct. 2, 1951 2,638,830 Kropp May 19, 1953 

